Saturday, December 24, 2011

Management of Agitation Behavior

Management of Agitation Behavior: Management of Agitation Behavior

By Rich O'Boyle, Editor

One of the greatest impacts on quality of life for families and their loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease is the presence of agitation behavior in the middle stages of the disease process. More than half of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease exhibit some type of "agitation" behavior over the course of a year, in addition to depression or psychosis. Experts suggest that the best way to manage agitation is through environmental and atmosphere changes rather than medications. Medications are a last resort.

Friday, December 23, 2011

About » All Things Caregiver

About » All Things Caregiver: About

I am a young woman who transitioned into adulthood while caring for, and emotionally supporting, my mother through her six-and-a-half year battle with breast cancer. I was eighteen years old when she was diagnosed and two months shy of my twenty-fifth birthday when she passed. My mother was diagnosed at age forty-four, and fought long enough to see her fiftieth birthday.

I am not a doctor, nor am I a nurse. I am not a lawyer, pharmacist, hospice care individual, psychiatrist or family therapist. I am simply an individual who has lived the life of a full time caregiver and I intend on sharing some of my personal experiences in hopes of providing help to others caregivers in a similar situations. Caregiving is a universal practice, meaning this blog will help anyone at any stage of the caregiving process.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

topics a personal executor may need to have access to upon a moment’s notice

topics a personal executor may need to have access to upon a moment’s notice:



For a caregiver (or the CEO of Caring for My Loved One, Inc.), the holidays are a perfect time to organize “Board of Directors” meetings of adult family members.



These meetings can be held after holiday dinners, poolside, or anywhere you and your loved ones gather. We will continue to share topics of interest for these meetings in upcoming communiqués, but one of the most important topics may not have anything to do with the loved one for whom you care as much as it has to do with you.



The topic of at least one of these meetings is what needs to be done in case of your own illness or passing. In fact, all adult members of your family need to establish a Personal Records Management solution.



Below, you will find a really interesting list of some of the less obvious topics a personal executor may need to have access to upon a moment’s notice:Board of Directors list

Monday, November 21, 2011

Facebook app called Who Cares?

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers eNewsletter:

We have just launched a new Facebook app called Who Cares?

The awareness-raising app is aimed at people who may not have first-hand experience of caring. We hope that the app will make them think about the tremendous task carers are doing.


The app encourages users to think about who among their own Facebook friends could take on the role of carer, and then simulates, in the form of Facebook messages, the impact of caring on carers' social lives and friendships.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

About Comfort Zone | Alzheimer's Association Comfort Zone

About Comfort Zone | Alzheimer's Association Comfort Zone: Comfort Zone is different from other services because it provides:
Easy use. It's as simple as turning on a computer, receiving a text message or calling the monitoring center. There is no installation of software. You can manage location and alerts via a secure, password-protected Web site anywhere at anytime.
Flexibility and choice. Comfort Zone can be paired with a variety of devices and plans. You can change any of these elements and still keep your settings and alerts. You will never have to learn a new password or Web application.
Monitoring center. A 24/7 call center is available to help you with location management services if you are unable to access the Internet.
Emergency health record. All Comfort Zone monthly plans come with the MedicAlert® + Alzheimer's Association's Safe Return® program, which provides 24-hour emergency response service for wandering and medical emergencies.
Long-distance comfort. Comfort Zone allows multiple family members, no matter where they live in the country, to check on a person with Alzheimer's. You can even monitor a person's location and manage your alerts while you're away on vacation.
Comprehensive service. You have access to all the resources of the Alzheimer's Association, including a free 24/7 Helpline that provides confidential counseling, referrals, safety and disease education, and local support.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Resource Lists Legal and Financial Issues for People with Alzheimer’s

http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Resources/Lists/legal.htm



U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH National Institute on Aging



Resources > Resource Lists Legal and Financial Issues for People with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Resource List Families face a variety of challenges when a loved one develops Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or a related disorder, including coping with legal and financial issues.



This resource list provides an overview of helpful brochures, handbooks, tool kits, and other materials to help people with AD and their caregivers make appropriate decisions. The AD Lib number at the end of each item can be used to search for a full description of the item at www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Resources/SearchHealthLiterature, an online database of resources on the ADEAR Center website.



http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/legaltips.htm

Resources for Low-Income Families Families who cannot afford a lawyer still can do advance planning.



Samples of basic health planning documents can be downloaded from State government websites. Area Agency on Aging officials may provide legal advice or help.



Other possible sources of legal assistance and referral include State legal aid offices, the State bar association, local nonprofit agencies, foundations, and social service agencies.



Summary



Facing Alzheimer’s disease can be emotionally wrenching for all concerned. A legal expert and members of the health care team can help the person and family address end-of-life issues. Advance health care and financial planning can help people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and their families confront

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Caregiving at the Crossroads

Caregiving at the Crossroads: Caregiving at the Crossroads

With the convergence of an aging population, advancement in technology and a baby boomer mentality, caregiving is at a crucial crossroad. Sharon K. Brothers, M.S.W. is President & CEO of the Institute for Senior Living Education, home of aQuire Training Solutions, EasyCEU and Caring for Mom(under development) - but more importantly, Sharon is committed to exploring solutions to caregiving challenges using the best technology and human skills have to offer.

CAREGIVING_Roadmap from arizona.edu

CAREGIVING_Roadmap_021010.pdf (application/pdf Object)

CAREGIVING_Roadmap_021010.pdf (application/pdf Object)

CAREGIVING_Roadmap_021010.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Talking microwave for Seniors. Aging in Place.



Eating & Cooking - LeVaunt. Products for Seniors. Aging in Place.: Talking Microwave The Talking Microwave Oven is a voice output microwave oven designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. In addition to a talking control panel, this microwave has a notched knob to set cooking times. Speech output can be in either English or Spanish. Features include preset functions for common foods, clock, timer, turntable and express cook one-touch buttons.

Cooking Under Pressure: Arming seniors and family caregivers with nutrition resources for healthy aging | Caregiver Stress

Cooking Under Pressure: Arming seniors and family caregivers with nutrition resources for healthy aging | Caregiver Stress: Cooking Under Pressuresm Program

The importance of nutrition to healthy aging is why Home Instead Senior Care has launched the Cooking Under Pressure nutrition campaign. This program provides education and support to seniors and their family members who are sometimes stressed-out by the demands of caregiving.

Partnering with nutrition experts at the University of Maryland and Duke Diet and Fitness Center (part of Duke University Medical Center), the company has developed a handbook of nutrition tips as well as healthy and interesting recipes that can spice it up for most any senior. The program will assist family caregivers who want to get organized by providing shopping tips and 12 food staples that older adults shouldn't live without.

Meal Plans for Caregivers | eHow.com

Meal Plans for Caregivers | eHow.com: Meal Plans for Caregivers
By Laurie Dickinson, eHow Contributor

Planning meals alleviates stress for caregivers.

A little planning goes a long way, especially when taking care of others. Not only does planning help to organize and manage daily duties and activities more efficiently, but it also allows the caregiver more time for herself. Planning simple, nutritious meals helps relieve some of the stresses of the caregiver's job

Cook for Your Caree

How Can We Help You Cook for Your Caree? - Caregiving.com: How Can We Help You Cook for Your Caree?
Posted by cooking4care on Feb 21st, 2011 in Cooking for Caregiving | 15 comments

(Editor’s Note: Today, we welcome a new blog, Cooking for Caregiving, penned by John Reaves and Liz Dreyer of Care Lab. Care Lab works to develop new ideas, products, services, partnerships, and sustainable programs that will make a difference to the community of caregivers..)

We’ve begun a project we call “Cooking for Caregiving” focusing on issues related to (you guessed it!) grocery shopping, preparing, delivering and serving meals for your caree.

There are a lot of reasons why we think this is an important issue. Obviously, it’s a big part of the challenge of caregiving for many caregivers. The excellent 2009 MetLife study estimated that 75% of caregivers helped with food shopping, and 64% with meal preparation. And research is increasingly demonstrating that nutrition is an important risk factor for many chronic conditions, as well as having a critical impact on the health and well-being of all seniors.

The Healthy Guide to Caregiver Cooking | Philadelphia Home Care

The Healthy Guide to Caregiver Cooking | Philadelphia Home Care: Our Home Care Guide to Caregiver Cooking

Meal preparation and cooking is often included in the repertoire of services that are offered by traditional home care services. There are many tips and tricks that the caregiver can use to simplify this process while ensuring the safety of the client at the same time.

The home care agency should be aware of any dietary restrictions that are prescribed to the patient and pass this information on to the caregiver to help when planning and preparing meals for their client. For diabetic seniors, it isn’t only sugar that poses a dietary threat, but starchy foods that eventually turn into sugar as well. For seniors who are on a low-sodium restricted diet, the caregiver should be mindful of the hidden sodium content in some of the foods. There are many recipes that can be tailored to meet certain restrictions and many recipes that have been created for the sole purpose of being compatible with dietary restrictions. Perhaps the client’s doctor has already given them menu suggestions to follow that can be incorporated into the meal preparation.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Hearing Loss Web

hearing loss events, issues, medical topics, resources, and technology
Hearing Loss Web

Hearing Loss Web is dedicated to people who have hearing loss, but are not members of the traditional Deaf community. This includes people who consider themselves to be hearing impaired, hard of hearing, late deafened, and oral deaf. We provide information on events, issues, medical topics, resources, and technology related to hearing loss.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

AAAs/TITLE VI AGENCIES





AAAs/TITLE VI AGENCIES Last Updated: September 7, 2012





    Alaska







    Arkansas






    American Samoa






    Arizona






    California






    Colorado







    Washington, DC








    Guam






    Hawaii






    Iowa







    Illinois







    Kansas






    Kentucky






    Louisiana








    Maine






    Michigan






    Minnesota






    Missouri






    Mariana Islands



    • CNMI Office of Aging – Saipan, MP






    Montana







    North Dakota






    Nebraska







    New Mexico







    New York






    Ohio






    Oklahoma







    Pennsylvania






    Puerto Rico






    Palau






    Rhode Island







    South Dakota







    Texas






    Utah






    Virginia








    Washington







    West Virginia






    Wyoming



    • Eastern Shoshone Tribe – Fort Washakie, WY


    • Northern Arapaho Tribe
      – Ft. Washakie, WY

    • Wind River Nutrition and Transportation – Fort Washakie, WY